


Fight or Flight

by fishbowt



Category: DARLING In The FRANXX (Anime), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Dabi is Todoroki Touya, Dabi is a Todoroki, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Government Experimentation, Heavy Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Major Character Injury, Slow Burn, Violence, Warnings for future chapters, but not so slow it's uninteresting, but others are here too, dabihawks-centric, darling in the franxx (heavily inspired), ik the character list is odd but it'll make sense eventually i promise, no beta we die like men, touya is refered to as todoroki don't get confused
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-13 06:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18935491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishbowt/pseuds/fishbowt
Summary: Hōkusu thought that he was a badass, piloting a CantuS so well. Todoroki had been a well-deserved partner, as well.But one thing, he would not admit, was how increasingly afraid he was at that moment.Icarus XIII was his deathbed.





	Fight or Flight

**Author's Note:**

> This is highkey just an odd mix of Darling in the Franxx and Expelled from Paradise, but I had the idea and I hope I executed this well enough. And to clarify; Touya/Dabi is referred to as Todoroki, [ cuz, cough, last names ] also, for the time being, no beta, so let me no if you spot any mistakes!

" RUMI! "

Alarms blared all around the long white corridor, lights swapping from white to red at a frequency that gave Sora a headache. At his wrist, his partner clung with a burning tight grip as he desperately reached for Usagiyama.

" Go, Hawks! I've got your back. I'll meet you back at the hangar! "

" Rumi, no- " Before Sora could move, the girl slapped her hand on the panel beside the door, sliding the firearm beneath it before the door quickly shut down between them. " Hōkusu, when have I ever broken a promise? "

Breathing was getting hard for Sora, and smoke was filling the hall faster than he would have liked. Rumi pressed her hand to the glass as Sora's partner pulled him away, his feet unwillingly sprinting along to match his speed. He couldn't see through the thick dust, but he swore he caught a glimpse of Usagiyama's smile, seconds before the walls collapsed behind him, crushing half the hall and causing it to ring through his ears.

" _RUMI-!_ "

**///**

" Fuck, ow, shit, " Hōkusu inhaled a sharp breath as his ankle turned with the uneven dirt ground beneath him, causing him to topple to his knees, loose rocks cutting into his palms. His face planted into a batch of grass, mud smearing onto his face as he winced.

" Bird brain. " A voice mocked as Todoroki's boots came into Hōkusu's narrowed view. The blonde scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet, wiping the dirt off his face with his palm as he met the redhead's icy turquoise eyes with his own warm brown gaze, playful, cheeky grins on both of their faces.

" Fuck you, Matchstick. " Hōkusu couldn't help but snicker as he tackled the other to the ground, Todoroki bursting into euphoric laughter as he tried to push the blonde off of him.

" Fuck me? Man, what time? " The redhead teased, the blonde huffing as he swung his legs off Todoroki's hips and getting back onto his feet.

Hōkusu crossed his arms and grumbled, puffing out his cheeks and chest. " Not funny. "

" I thought that was very funny, " A smug expression washed over Todoroki's face, eyes closed, grin wide, brows perked. He sat up, wrists on his knees.

" Yeah. You're quite the comedian, Touya. "

The redhead practically flinched. " Watch it. "

Hōkusu rolled his eyes. " Whatever, 'Dabi' " His arms fell to his sides. " I don't even know why you use a stupid fake name anyways, it's not like it changes anything. They'll still use your code. " Hōkusu's mood dropped a bit. ": They're practically our names anyways. "

" It gives me a sense of control, you know this. " The redhead lightly punched the blonde in the knee, a playful gesture. " I don't like not being in control of things. "

" Mm, " he shuffled on his feet, sneakers digging at a loose layer of dirt. " I know, I know. " Sunlight filtered between the tree leaves above them, encouraging the golden specks that spattered in Hōkusu's brown irises to glint and sparkle as the pleased, his gaze following two birds fluttering from branch to branch, dancing together between trees as he tilted his head back to witness, a sense of calm washing over him.

The redhead watched him silently, head tilted with a soft smile. Expression fond of the way Hōkusu nearly glowed under the restricted sunlight. A warm feeling softened his typical playful and frankly inappropriate banter as his gaze followed the birds above.

" Ever wonder what it's like to fly? " The blonde's sudden question caught the redhead off guard, though he wouldn't admit that it startled him a bit.

" What? " Todoroki tilted his head, confused.

" Do you ever wonder what it's like to fly? " He repeated, the blonde's gaze hardly faltered, even as the birds fluttered off.

The other shook his head. " I've never given it much thought, no. "

 Hōkusu hummed, raising his hands behind his head and turning on his heel, not saying a word as he began to walk off, back to the main path, which led back to Cabin VII. Todoroki pushed himself to his feet, brushing a sneaker print off his thigh with a grumble. Following the blonde without needing to be asked, he questioned further.

" Well, I'd imagine it have the same feeling as piloting a CantuS? "

" Icarus XIII almost killed me; CantuS are enclosed, with no sense of freedom, made for pistols to live and kill daxaeus until we die with no name or mark left behind. Just another code in their system, taking credit for our kill counts by our final breath. It's a vessel. A cage for birds. " He sighed, his tone not at all tense or aggressive. He was to the point, straightforward. But oddly not sour or negative. " Piloting CantuS is amazing, but.. flight seems different. Birds don't need CantuS to fly. "

Todoroki hummed in response, nodding. " So, essentially you're stating that piloting a CantuS brings power but not relief? "

The blonde nodded. " Somewhat. Freedom fits better than relief. An exemption from being controlled. Like how a day on the beach brings freedom but not power. "

" You can't simply have both? "

" Of course not, that's ridiculous. "

" Why so? "

" Because it makes no sense. "

" You can't base all your decisions on rationality, Hōkusu. " The redhead grabbed the other's wrist with a burning grip, despite being an almost comfort. " I'll argue that you bring me a sense of both. "

" Gross, " The blonde stuck his tongue out in false disgust, " blech. "

Todoroki grinned, " Maybe a little vulnerable, too, though I'll never properly admit that. "

Hōkusu snorted, tugging his hand away. " You just did. "

" Shut up. " The redhead rolled his eyes, shoving Hōkusu onward, earning a laugh out of the blond.

" Whatever, Matchstick. " Gravel crunched under Hōkusu's sneakers as the clearing in from of the house's entrance, shuffling as Todoroki grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

" Wait. " Hōkusu stopped, turning with a confused hum. " I wanted to ask you something. "

Hōkusu froze, silent as he shuffled his feet in the dirt with a soft crunch. He didn't like questions. No, he did not like questions at all. But despite that, he nodded. " Go on. "

The redhead cleared his throat, letting go of Hōkusu's wrist. " I wanted to.. ask you about something. " He knew it was a touchy subject, Hōkusu's entire existence was in general a fragile thing to handle. One wrong word and he might burst into flames and cut someone without sympathy. Kill now, apologize later. He ran on instinct, or, that was what Caretaker Ishiyama had told them. Todoroki was beginning to believe that Hōkusu was something more, however. Nonetheless, he always shoved that off and took Ishiyama's word, no matter how much he hated listening to the Authorities. " I wanted to ask you about your previous co-pilots. "  
  
Something in Hōkusu's expression flinched. " What about them? "  
  
Todoroki swallowed down his doubt, and proceeded onward. No turning back now. He'd rather ask a question and get an iffy response than be socked in the face with the might of a ranked daxaeon. " Why do they always die, and why did Ishiyama bring you here thinking it would be different? And why did he refuse to answer my questions? "

" Because they weren't his to answer. " The blonde sighed, tensing up a bit. " His only job was to deliver me from Plantation XVII to Plantation III. The Facility most likely didn't tell him anything, and the Doctor gave him the order to begin with. So, basically I'm saying either he didn't have the answer, or he did, and was too afraid of scaring you and your little 'League' off and didn't. " Hōkusu exhaled, like he was running miles to figure this out on his own. Like he was trying to fit thousands of thoughts into three words. He paused, closing his eyes only to look half-lidded at the floor. " They most likely dumped me here because you guys are older, so you have different blood. Different tests have been done on you, so I'm more likely to be compatible with one of you than one of the youngsters. "

There was a pause, like he had more to say. Todoroki urged him on with an impatient gesture. " And..? "

" Which also means there's less time, which is why they're trying so hard to get us back into CantuS. No pistol has been known to live past twenty-five, and we're twenty-two. Three years for flipping a coin and seeing who gets ' lucky ride with the partner-killer. ' " He gave unenthusiastic jazz hands. " All of my riders so far have died because, to what Doctor can tell, their blood is too recent. Too _human_. "

" What's different about us? "

" More encounters with daxaeus, more close calls then the recently graduated tests. More likely to have daxaeon blood in you. You're more like to be invulnerable, and able to withstand the pressure of riding with me. " He paused, foot freezing mid-shuffle. " However, other variables come in. Toga is too small. Bubaigawara's mental state is too wavering, and Shimura is too young. "

" And me? "

" That's the funny part. They haven't said a word to anyone about this, but your file is clean. They've got no records on you. "

" What does that mean? "

" Someone wiped them. A while ago, too. When you were still a bug. Something happened, and they don't know if you've gotten the treatment. You're the reason I'm here. "

" Treatment? " Why the hell did Hōsuku know so much about him? Hell, he knew his first name before he'd even spoken a word to blonde, but now, he was seeming to get answers to questions he never asked. And they weren't answers he liked.

" Daxaeon infection immunity. Increasing the yellow blood cells in your stream in order to block out daxaeus blood from synthesizing and modifying your DNA. It would override anything the Facility's done to you, any and all assessments would be useless, or, they assume. They don't know, because it hasn't happened to anyone. They have ran experiments, however. " The blonde bit his nail, pausing a moment. The gold in his eyes seemed to glitter, in a way that sent chills down Todoroki's spine. " The blood needs to be activated to do anything, though. "

" How does that even- " Before the redhead could finish, Toga threw open the door about 10 feet away from them, a pan and a ladle clanging in her hands as she yelled, a twisted grin on her seemingly-permanent flushed face. Hōkusu grabbed the redhead's collar with a sudden beaming smile.

" Hush up, darling! " He trotted to the doors, Todoroki stumbling along, being a foot taller than the blonde. " We'll be late for dinner! "

**Author's Note:**

> I know I just kind of appeared out of no where, and this is the first thing I post, but I hope this is a good enough " Hi! I'm Kinq and here's what I can do. " I have another Dabi/Hawks fic in the works, but I intend on reading the manga before sharing, as well as other ideas for AUs and plots.
> 
> my instagram : @plumkinq  
> my twitter : @FeatheredSora
> 
> Notes/a guide to terms in this fic:  
> hawks' code is 002  
> touya's code is 712
> 
> hawks and touya are known as what are called 'pistols,' who pilot CantuS. Vehicles are almost always female, and riders are almost always male. Daxaeus are kaikaifilu hervei-like aliens that appeared dead on coasts, then eventually over ran the world. the government gave up, and now most of the earth is desert.
> 
> hawks is a rare male vehicle, genetically coded by the Facility. around the CantuS pilots, he's been come to known as the Icarus.
> 
> hawks pilots the CantuS Icarus XIII, generally alone, but it has affects in his stability.
> 
> pilots are separated into stages: pistols, or sometimes refered to as " birds " ( ages 18-25 ), tests ( ages 11-17 ), and bugs ( 1-9 ). tests and bugs do not pilot CantuS, and there is no known record of a pilot living beyond 25.
> 
> that's all for now! ^^


End file.
